Life of a Time-Traveler
by JPalmerGirl
Summary: "The most useful form of time travel would be to go back a year or two and rectify the mistakes we made." Jimmy Palmer was five years old, the first time he Time-Traveled by himself. The doctors called it a gene problem, Chrono-Displacement but Jimmy's Dad, Julius just called it Time-Traveling. This is his life, the life of a Time-Traveler.


-August 12th 1998-

"MOMMY!"

A five year old Jimmy Palmer screeched as he stared at his small hands, he was sitting erect in his big-boy bed as he wailed frantically for his Mommy. His hands were slowly fading away, piece by piece, he didn't even know where they were going, they were just disappearing. When his Mommy burst into the room just moments later, she was horrified to find herself staring at only half of her son's face, a sheer look of terror on the part in which she could see. With a sinking feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, she rushed over to her baby, but by the time she got there, the only things left were his superman and his socks. That was when she knew, when she gathered up her young son's clothes in her shaking fingers, that her son was a Time Traveler, just like his father.

Long ago, men and their sons would go to sea, and the mothers and wives would wait for them, standing at the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the tiny ship. Now she herself will wait, not only for her husband Julius, but for her son Jimmy as well. They will both now, vanish unwillingly, without warning. And she will wait for them. Each moment that she will wait will feel like a year, an eternity. Each moment will be as slow and transparent as glass. Through each moment she will see infinite moments lined up, waiting. Why will her husband go where she cannot follow, and why must her only child leave her as well?

Eunice Palmer broke down in sobs, cradling her son's pajamas in her quivering hands, as she thought of her husband and her little boy, off in a world, in time that she was unable to follow them too. She just prayed for her child to be safe, for someone to protect him.

-November 6th 1990-

Jimmy knelt in the prickly bushes in a forest, he was naked and was trying to cover himself with anything he could. The five year old was sniffling softly and was shaking as the heavy sobs wracked his thin frame. Then due to the frigid air, he began to shiver as well. He was utterly miserable. Then that was when he heard it, the sound of dry leaves crackling under heavy boots, the sound was getting closer and closer along with the lingering scent of pine needles. If he had to bet, the person was probably sprinkled with the stubborn green needles.

"Are you okay in there? You can come out, I won't hurt you, I promise."

A young girl's voice spoke and a scarlet blush spread over Jimmy's cheeks. Why did it have to be a girl who found him? Jimmy just stayed quiet, burying his face inside the bush and trying to stifle his whimpers. Finally the unnamed girl reached out a small pale hand and ruffled the bush, making Jimmy yelp in surprise.

"D-Do you have anything extra clothes...I-I kind of need them..."

Jimmy stammered, his teeth clinking together as he shivered and tried to speak at the same time. He heard the girl shuffle around for a moment, before tossing something over the bush that he was using to cover himself. Jimmy bent over to gather the clothing article into his arms, it turned out to be a long quilted blanket, clearly handmade with several intricate designs covering it's soft surface. Jimmy hurriedly wrapped it around his shivering frame, before stepping out into the light to see the girl. She was very pretty, maybe six or seven years old with wavy auburn hair that cascaded over her shoulders, her cheeks were mildly flushed, along with the tip of her nose, from the cold. But she had a wide smile on her face.

"Why are you naked and why were you in a bush?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Jimmy sighed, tugging the blanket tighter around himself, against the chilling and frigid cold. But he was surprised when the older girl walked forwards and rested a soft and gentle hand on his shoulder. Her wide blue eyes looked at him intently.

"Try me."

She whispered and Jimmy tried to remember what his Daddy had called what he did, since it was obviously the very same thing. Then it came to him, Time-Traveling. But would this girl believe him? He had just met her and she didn't even know his name, he didn't know her's either. But for some reason, he thought he could trust this girl.

"I'm a Time-Traveler. My clothes just don't like to come with me."

The girl's eyes widened comically and she just gaped at him in surprise, while Jimmy just stared at his bare feet, wincing slightly at the way that the twigs and stones dug into the still soft skin of his feet. Tears pooled in his eyes when it dawned on him that the girl probably didn't believe him or even care. Then he saw a small pale hand shoved in his line of vision. Jimmy looked up in surprise as he saw the girl's face set in a stubborn and firm line.

"My name is Kelly Gibbs, what's yours?"

"J-Jimmy Palmer."

Jimmy stuttered softly and accepted the hand that the girl offered to him. Just as a smile was spreading over his face, mirrored by her own, Kelly softly gasped and her eyes focused on Jimmy's left hand, the one that was clasped in her own. Jimmy's own eyes were drawn to it and he sighed softly. His hand was fading just as it had done before and before long, the rest of him was fading away as well. Kelly gasped again and she clutched at his arm or what was left of it.

"Will I see you again, Jimmy?!"

Kelly cried and Jimmy smiled for the first real time, a giddy laugh leaving his lips.

"I promise!"

-June 12th 2013-

"Mr. Palmer? Could you pass me my scalpel?"

Jimmy was stunned out of his daydreams by Dr. Mallard's voice, Jimmy instantly snatched up a scalpel and hurriedly thrust it into Dr. Mallard's hands. If the older Medical Examiner sensed his tenseness, then he didn't elaborate on it and just left Jimmy to his own devices. The young M.E was nervous and was twiddling his thumbs as he paced back and forth across the lightly tiled floor of Autopsy.

"Are you quite alright, Mr. Palmer?"

Dr. Mallard finally sighed and rested his scalpel on the table, before turning to look at Jimmy. The younger M.E blushed before flopping down in a spare stool and turned to look at Dr. Mallard. He was rather worried about Agent Gibbs, the man seemed slightly off today. Slightly more gruff then usual, more cold towards Jimmy, though he couldn't seem to place why.

"Is there something upsetting Agent Gibbs?"

"I would assume so, this is the anniversary of Kelly and Shannon's death."

Jimmy blood turned slightly icy at that phrase, Kelly Gibbs was dead? It couldn't be that same Kelly Gibbs, right? Not his Kelly Gibbs. Though he hadn't visited Kelly for a while, he did hope that nothing had happened to her.

"How old were they when they died?"

"Well, I think Kelly was eight."

Jimmy stood still, vision blurring, and in that moment, nobody heard his heart break. It was such a small, clean sound, like the snapping of a young flower's stem. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to live. He wanted to hate her, yet he did not think he could ever exist without her, without being able to see her again, to see the girl he'd been visiting since he was barely five years old. He thought that he would marry her one day. Even with his Time-Traveling, his Chrono-Displacement, he thought that they could have a life together. He was wrong...he'd never felt such agony before and he began to cry silently, tears streaming down his cheeks as Dr. Mallard obliviously preformed the autopsy.


End file.
